Democrats are blasting President Donald Trump over his proposal to provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers in exchange for $25 billion for his wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The White House released a one-page proposal that would provide those who came to the U.S. illegally as children and were protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or ‘Dreamers,’ with a path to citizenship. It also called for $25 billion in funding for a border wall, in addition to restrictions on family-based migration and the removal of a visa lottery.
"Dreamers should not be held hostage to President Trump's crusade to tear families apart and waste billions of American tax dollars on an ineffective wall," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement, according to CNN.
"The White House claims to be compromising because the President now agrees with the overwhelming majority of Americans that Dreamers should have a pathway to citizenship. But his plan would put the administration's entire hardline immigration agenda -- including massive cuts to legal immigration -- on the backs of these young people," Durbin said. His colleague from Illinois, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, called Trump’s plan as a "$25 billion ransom for Dreamers."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., also weighed in, Politico reported: "President Trump and Republicans cannot be allowed to use Dreamers as a bargaining chip for their wish list of anti-immigrant policies."